Always and Forever
by Raven-Leigh
Summary: Reno survives Meteor after it destroys Midgar. Who finds him when he's wandering aimlessly in search of warmth and safety? Yaoi.


_This is my first yaoi fanfic. I've RPed yaoi scenes and stuff like that, but never actually WROTE them into my stories. However, this one was just too good to pass up. I know many of you don't really see why I would write this pairing, but I love Reno and Rude. Quite naturally, I HAD to write it after Becca mentioned it on her LJ, cuz I'd already been thinking about it. Therefore, R&R and enjoy if it isn't too horrendous._

The gentle swirl of the stormy sky made the young man cringe. Loose red hair whipping and snapping in the wind, he lowered his head and shoved his hands into his pockets to attempt to stop the chill that was creeping up his back and settling against the nape of his neck. His teeth were chattering as he scuffed along the dirt path, slight droplets of rain prickling the dry earth all around him. Glowing blue eyes shifting back and forth, they told him that he had to find shelter soon or else something terrible would happen to him. It hadn't been the same since his world collapsed around him. With ShinRa gone and Midgar demolished, he had to find somewhere to stay quickly. Reno was already sick, he couldn't afford to get any worse without shelter.

With a huge gust of wind, the rain started its descent. Pouring down around him, it saturated his hair and clothing, making an icy cold chill fall over his entire body. He squished through the wet grass toward the only place he could really take residence in. Kalm. It hadn't been harmed during Midgar's destruction, thankfully, but he didn't know anyone there. He hadn't been able to find his fellow Turks, so he assumed both of them dead. As his mind filtered over the thought, he sniffled mildly and shivered, keeping his head lowered as he walked into the small town. People had their shutters closed tightly, latched from the inside to block out the strong gusts of wind that the storm system was providing.

Reno looked left and right, a frown forming over his face. No shelter there, it looked like. However, he knew that he had to get somewhere. It didn't matter if he wasn't wanted; he had to live too, right? His body started to shiver involuntarily as he drew near the bar. _It should be warm, right? Just… warmth… So long._ He closed his eyes at the thought of the last time he'd been warm. That had been when he'd been scared he would die, pinned by a piece of metal in the ruins of Midgar with a fire blazing nearby. Reno couldn't remember how he'd survived. He just did, and he was grateful for that little stroke of luck.

Reaching out, he shoved the door open and stepped into the bar. He noticed how it'd been remodeled after the month of everything happening. Business appeared to be slow and he could only make out one lone figure in the corner, nursing a bottle of alcohol along. Stepping inside, the numb chill that had swept over him outside cut him like a dull razor blade, slicing up his body as the warmth made him aware of just how cold he had been. The pain surged through his legs and arms, making him tremble uncontrollably. He stepped over to the fire and just sat down in the floor, bowing his head. His loose hair swept around his form, almost like a curtain hanging down his shoulders and back.

He didn't notice, but the lone figure looked up, brown eyes gleaming in the firelight as he watched the red-head. He noticed the shivers that the young man had and how red he looked. His young companion had survived? Marvelous. Rude was glad at least the red-head survived, since he hadn't been able to save Elena. Reno whimpered as he felt the full extent of the sickness hit him. His throat was sore, his face chapped from the wind and the backs of his eyelids burned terribly. Sniffling, he heard evidence of a severe cold that he hadn't been aware of before he came into the warm establishment. Rude noted that he looked and sounded like hell.

Pushing himself up from the table, Rude took another drink of the liquor he'd bought and then placed it down, making his way over to Reno. Kneeling down at his side, he reached out and captured the young man's chin in his hand. Reno looked up slowly into his face, his feverishly flushed cheeks and forehead very obvious. The older man's hand felt the heat through his chin, causing him to feel sympathy. "I see you're alive." Reno blinked, almost as if wondering if it was all a dream. He whimpered again and lowered his head again as Rude released him. "You look half-dead, though. Let's get you someplace and doctor you up."

Reno closed his eyes to feel the dull, burning throb of his eyelids as Rude slid his arms underneath his knees, wrapping his other arm around his lower back. Rude noticed how unbearably light he was and how bad the shivers actually were. Holding him close, Rude headed for the exit of the bar. As soon as he stepped out into the torrent of rain, he winced. _No wonder the kid's so wet and sick. Damn, I'd be sick, too._ He made his way as quickly as he could toward the inn.

_I can't figure out how he made it. I figured everyone was dead but me. I guess it's one of those miracles that Elena was always talkin' about. He looks like hell on earth. I wonder if he's going to survive this…_ Rude headed up the stairs immediately. Pressing his knee against the wall, he slid Reno down and freed his right hand, searching for his key in his pants pocket. Finding it, he slid it into the doorknob and twisted, bumping the door slightly to open it a crack. He picked the red-head up and sauntered into the small room, glad to be in shelter with a friend once more.

When Rude reached the bed, he placed a hand underneath Reno's upper back and lowered him down gently, allowing his head to rest against the soft sheets. He couldn't tell whether the younger man was asleep or just couldn't open his eyes. Either way, Rude reached to place his hand on Reno's forehead. He saw the younger man wince and flinch when Rude touched him, the cold chill of his palm making Reno shiver all the more. "You're burnin' up, Ren. Damn, how long have you been out of Midgar?" He heard unintelligible mumbles, followed by a labored sigh. "Must've been out for a long time and lookin' for a place to go. I'll get you fixed up." He watched as Reno's eyes slowly opened to look up at him. He looked dazed and confused as to where he was. "You're in the inn. You're safe now." Without another word, Rude turned, leaving Reno to only close his eyes and drop into a feverish sleep.

Two hours later, Reno woke up to the feeling of cool water on his skin. He felt like his entire body was on fire, the hot and sticky feeling of his skin becoming a constant irritation. Looking around slowly as he ignored the dull throb that had started in his head, he noticed he was in the bathtub. His hair was tied back and he was pointed face-up. There, he halfway saw Rude, who wiped cold water over his face. "Meh?"

"High fever. Had to get it lowered quickly. You feeling any better? You look like you are, if only slightly."

Reno nodded; squeezing his eyes shut tightly to feel the slightly torturous burn again, and then opened them to watch Rude. The cold washcloth felt good against his skin, seemed to wash away the terribly hot feeling of sickness that was radiating from his body. "I borrowed a thermometer from the innkeeper and it said you had a fever of 105. That wasn't good. I was scared you might not wake up if I didn't get it lowered, you know?" Reno nodded again, continuing to watch him, more like a child than an ex-hitman.

"Feel like you could sit up and eat something?" Reno frowned at the thought of food, but his stomach protested what his mind screamed so loudly that he couldn't refuse. He nodded, shutting his eyes again. Rude washed over his face one more time, then lifted him up out of the tub. His body wasn't shivering quite as bad as it had been, so Rude called the cooling-down a success. Reno only shivered when he felt the sensation of water dripping off of his body, which was remedied after he was wrapped in a towel and nudged toward the main room.

Reno noticed it was warm all over the little room, and he was very grateful for it. He'd been cold for so long that it almost seemed to settle deep down in his bones, refusing to be budged. "How long have you been here?" He shocked himself, the rough edge of his voice revealing just how sick he actually was.

Rude stepped out of the bathroom after draining the water. "A total of two months, maybe. Long enough to be well-established and working. It's not much, but it's all I have, you know?" He wiped his hands against his pants, getting the excess water off. Nudging Reno toward the bed, the young man plopped down, bouncing gently. "How did you survive?"

Shaking his head, Reno pushed a loose strand of hair out of his face as he laid back on the bed. "Caught beneath metal strips. Wiggled loose, got up, started walking. Everyone's dead. There ain't no one left, is there?" His mako blue eyes stared up toward Rude's face, almost pleading silently for him to tell him differently.

Rude shook his head. "Elena's dead. Rufus is dead. Scarlet is dead, thank the spirits. Ren, everyone is dead but AVALANCHE. There ain't no one left."

Reno's eyes shone brightly as tears welled up in his eyes. "'Lena and everyone's gone? Wh-… How?"

"She got trapped in a building. I couldn't get her out. It burned to the ground with her inside. Dunno what happened, but I doubt she felt pain. I heard a gunshot right after she started screaming." Rude sat down next to Reno, staring down at the floor.

"What're we going to do?"

"Kid, you do what I did. Pick your head up and rebuild your life. It hasn't been that long; you can still pick up the pieces."

"So alone…"

"Not completely alone. I'm here, aren't I?"

"You got too much shit to worry about, Rude. Too much to worry about me." Reno turned over onto his stomach and crossed his arms on the bed, placing his forehead down on them. His hair feathered out from the loose bind that was holding it back, fanning out slowly across his back.

Rude leaned over and placed a hand on the middle of his back, rubbing gently. "Nah. Not too much shit to worry about. I'd been thinkin' about you, Ren. I mean, where would the world be without our hell-raisin' red-head? I was wondering if you'd died… I'm glad to see you're alive."

Reno looked up at him slowly. "Meh… You know I couldn't die that easily. After bein' busted up by Cloud and his team of high-flutin' bastards, I couldn't die by the shit that happened in Midgar. That would rub my image into the dust, and we all know I love my image. Who in the hell would pick me up and dust me off if I didn't do it myself?"

A wry smile worked across Rude's face. "I would…"

"Meh. You and what army, mmm?" He turned over onto his back and smirked up at the older man. "Cuz it would take you and a huge army to stop me from doin' shit to get it dirty. I mean, it's me, and we all know I do stupid shit."

"I'd be able to keep you in one spot."

"Oh yeah? How's that?"

Rude smirked and leaned forward, nose almost touching his. "Like this." He touched his lips softly to Reno's causing the red-head's eyes to widen dramatically. A blush worked its way across his face as he felt his heart start racing. Rude slowly withdrew from the kiss, holding a small smile on his face. "Yep. Like that." After he said that, a gentle blush wound up crawling across his face.

Reno reached up and touched the area Rude had kissed, his heart beating at a pace that seemed like one hundred MPH. He stared up at the older man, bewildered. "Wh-..whaa?"

"It's okay if you're uncomfortable with that. I dunno what I was thinking." He frowned slightly, but got the serious look he usually had on his face back. "Just forget I did anything." Rude made to get up from the bed, but was very surprised when he felt two warm hands wrap around his wrist and jerk him back down. His body bumped against a smaller one gently as he sat down hard against the mattress.

"How long have you been waitin' to do that?"

"Ever since you were a teenager."

"Damn, why didn't you tell me?"

"Didn't figure you swung that way. Besides, I'm old enough to be your daddy."

"Not like I really have anyone else, Rude. You were always there… Even when everyone else wasn't dead, you was always the one to take care of me."

"So what're you sayin', kid, you swing that way?"

Reno puffed his chest out lightly. "What way? I swing both ways, thank you very much. What, trying to imply I've been acting all these years?"

Rude smirked. "Nah, just trying to imply that if you was acting, you did a pretty damn good job of it."

"I just never made it known. It ain't good for the job when you have one at ShinRa Inc., now is it?"

"I gotta agree with you there. Tseng knew about me. We went out a couple of times, nothing huge."

Rude let his gaze fall to the floor, a frown forming across his face again. He felt the mattress shift as Reno leaned over, however, crossing his arms against the larger man's shoulder. His weight wasn't really all that dramatic as he rested his chin on top of his arms, watching Rude, getting close enough to whisper in his ear. "You know… Some things are very surprising. You think you know a guy, and then he does something to really shock you, eh?" Reno leaned forward and ghosted his lips across Rude's cheek. The older man smirked but didn't say anything. "So why can't I shock you? You know everything. I can't be impressively scary like you."

Turning, Rude grabbed Reno around the waist, causing him to give a yelp, then plopped him down on the bed stomach-first. "You know what? You can't shock me; you're right. You can't shock me because I know you for the most part and I know what your mind thinks before you say it. I know you too well." His hands slowly started to work at Reno's back muscles, massaging up and down. "And you can stay here as long as you want, kid. I didn't know you well enough to know about your little secret, so I suppose we could both use some time to get to know one another better. What do you say?"

Reno turned his head, glancing up at him semi-innocently. "I say you have a great idea. Is it hard to start over?"

"Nah. Not hard at all, kiddo. You'll see, these people are really nice and they'll help you."

"How long are you going to be with me, Rude? I… I'm scared of being alone." The red-head's face fell slightly as he closed his eyes.

Rude sat there for a moment, thinking of an appropriate answer. Slowly, a gentle smile wound itself around his face as he continued to massage his close friend's back. "Mmm… How about always and forever?"

"That sounds really really nice, Rude… I like that idea, too. You're just full of good ideas, you know?"


End file.
